Tsunami
by Shewhodanceswithdragons
Summary: When Katara is betrayed by Zuko, she feels that there is no way out except for the coward's way.[Swearing,suicide attempt,Zutara Songfic oneshot]


**_I started to write this after seeing the avatar season finale. It was a way for me to get my emotions out. _**

**_I don't own Avatar, for if I did Zutara would have happened and Zuko wouldn't have betrayed Troh._**

**_I also do not own How Could This Happen to Me. That's owned by Simple Plan._**

**_ Yes, I know that Katara is kinda OoC. Deal with it._**

**_Okay, I've made a couple of changes. I think I like this version better. Hope you do too!  
_**

"NO! I CAN'T BELIEVE I TRUSTED YOU!" Katara raged against her captor like the angry wave of a tsunami.

"Katara, I can explain-"

"I really thought you had changed, Zuko. But now I see that you're just like the rest of them." With a violent wrench, she broke away from him and ran down the alley.

But Zuko wasn't about to let her get away easily. With powerful strides, he ran after her like a tigerwolf stalking his prey. He chased her all the way to the Firelight Fountain. There he stopped just out of the torches light, looking at her sobbing form seated on the lip of the fountain. Just as he was about to make his presence known, she started to sing.

_How could this happen to me, I've made my mistakes..._

She should have never had trusted him. Especially with her history of men. She had sworn not to give her heart away after Jet. But those eyes, so full of hurt, yet so full of hope...But she had been a fool. She had made a mistake, and now had to suffer the consequences.

_Got nowhere to run, the night goes on as I'm fading away..._

She could sense him, just beyond the torches light. But it was hopeless. She had always tried so hard to keep a positive attitude, to keep going no matter what the circumstances were. But now, the weight of Zuko's betrayal of both her and his uncle, Aang possibly fatally injured by Azula, and her confusing emotions were threatening to break her spirit.

_I start fading away, I'm sick of this life, I just wanna scream..._

She was toying with the idea of taking her life. Ending it now, before the world could become any more corrupt by the Fire Nation. She was sick of having to pretend that everything was okay all the time, of Aang's youthful affections that she did not return, of Sokka's lazyness, of just the world in general.

_Everybody's screaming, I try to make a sound but no one hears me._

_I'm slipping off the edge, I'm hanging by a thread._

_I wanna start this over again_

Everyone else needed help more than she did, she thought. But she was so caught up in trying to help everybody that no one noticed that she needed help. She tried letting people know, but no one noticed. Except for a certain gold-eyed boy. She had been taking a break from everyone, just focused on getting some tea before she had a nervous breakdown. More and more thoughts of suicide had entered her mind. She had tried to keep them at bay, but when she had entered the shop and smelt the scent of the tea her mother had loved she lost it. The next thing she had known, a rough but comforting voice was asking if she was alright. She had looked up and saw someone with a concerned look on their face, and that was all it took. Launching herself into the surprised tea server's arms, she had broken down, until a kindly old man had helped her comforter move her into a room with a basin of water in it, to clean herself up.

She was wary of him at first, but after he had explained she begain to trust him. It became habit for her to stop by during errands to get a cup of tea and chat with him, if he wasn't too busy. Over time, their relationship had blossomed into something more.

Then it happened. Amazingly, she still had a shred of hope that it was all just a lie, that they could start over again with a clean slate. But deep down she knew that she should just end it now, before her heart could be broken again.

So she formed an ice dagger, and as she begain to press it to her wrist she sang one last phrase.

_And I can't stand the pain, and I can't make it go away. I'm sick of this life, and just want to scream..._

_How could this happen to me..._

And as she begain to press it into her wrist, the razor sharp tip slicing easily through her skin, she caught a glimpse of someone running towards her.

She felt a blast of heat, and the dagger evaporated as she overbalanced and fell into the fountain. There her healing abilities inadvertally set to work and healed herself, as she sputtered with indignation as she glared at the male who was part of a chain of reasons why she attempted to take her own life.

"YOU! Get away from me NOW! I don't want to see or talk to you again, you fucking bastard."

"No." He captured her wrists and forced her to look at him. "Suicide is for cowards who have no honor. It is used only as a last resort, and it is the worst."

Katara laughed hollowly. "Cowards who have no honor? Look who's talking! The same person who betrayed his uncle, the only other person to have shown him love and guidance except for his mother, is talking about honor? The world must truely be a fucked up hellhole. Oh wait, it is, because the fucking Fire Nation has overtaken it and killed the last hope for all of mankind. But wait, I forgot. The Fire Nation only cares about POWER. It dosen't matter if the people are killed and homes destroyed, as long as the Fire Nation can rule it all, only caring about their own element and power, and spitefully hating the world's morals, including peace, love, honor, caring, and NOT being egomatic pyromaniacs." She begain to laugh hysterically, until Zuko slapped her against the cheek.

He hissed at her, "You have no idea of what I was going through that night. Even now I regret my decision. Do not be so foolish as to take your own life, because life will do that for you soon enough. Believe me, I've been in your place." He pushed back his sleeve and showed her the faint scars on his wrists.

"I did this after my banishment. I was lucky my uncle checked on me in the night, or I would not be here."

"Maybe he shouldn't have. At least then I wouldn't be feeling this way! Betrayed, abandoned..."

"But you are never abandoned, you have friends who care for you. And at least you have a father who loves you." His voice turned bitter. "I never had that." He released her hands and turned away from her.

She got out of the fountain and turned him around to face her, eyes serious. "Explain yourself."

He took a deep breath. "I never should have listened to Azula. While we were in the palace, I found a message on her desk. It was from the Fire Lord. He had told her to trick me into thinking that he wanted me back, like the last time, but so he could personally execute me. That was the honor I would get. The only prince of the Fire Nation executed by his own father." He laughed bitterly. "So I confronted Azula, and she told me the truth. I was so angry then, I-I bent lightning and shot it at her. I didn't kill her though. I just wounded her, like she wounded Uncle." He stopped to take in a breath. She could see how hard this was for him.

"Go on," she prompted softly.

"It had knocked her out, so I escaped from there and went to find Uncle. But apparantly he had already escaped, and made his way into the city. So I hightailed it out of there, and now I've been looking for him ever since. Descreetly, of course." He slammed his fist against the wall. "I can't belive I was so stupid! Looking back now, I realize that Father never loved me. He thought I was a failure. He was always ashamed of me, just because I wasn't blood thirsty and ruthless like Azula. The only people who actually cared what happened to me was my mother, uncle, and cousin. Now two of them are dead and one probably is so ashamed of me that he never wants to see me again.

I was just so hungry for a father's love that I jumped at the chance to finally recieve that, but now I've figured out that I betrayed the true father figure to me, the one with a father's love big enough to share with his nephew."

"Hmmmm...Come with me." They silently made their way across the rooftops, leaping from roof to roof. After somehow managing to scale the wall, they started running across the plains, to where she had left the group to try to find some medicene. He was suprised to find that she was as swift as he. For some reason he had always thought she was weaker.

Once in the woods, they heard the faint murmur of voices, and as they crept silently up to the bushes surrounding the campfire, they could make out a huge and hulking firgure surrounded by six smaller ones.

"I do not believe that my nephew is beyond saving, Sokka. I know him. He would never consously betray me. He just was doing what he thought would finally bring him honor and his father's love. But he doesn't seem to realize that to have a father's love you need to recieve it from the one who concieved you with your mother. It can come from other sources, too."

"But I saw him-"

"You should rest, young avatar. You are still not healed from my niece's attack on you."

"Yeah, Twinkle Toes. You should listen to him. Besides, if _Katara_ was here you would listen to her."

"Toph, I know what you're hinting at. I used to like her that way, but now I realixe that she will never be more than an older sister to me."

"FINALLY! It was driving me nuts seeing you blush and stammer like that whenever she hugged you. Now all I have to worry about is that backstabbing betraying son of a- um- bastard firebender."

"Weren't you listening to Iroh, Snoozles?"

They could hear Iroh sigh heavily. "I just wish I could have told him that I loved him. Maybe that would have affected his decision."

Tears pricked in Zuko's eyes. He stepped forward into the light. "You just did, uncle."

Iroh got up and rushed to hug Zuko, tears streaming down his face. "I knew you could never betray me, my beloved nephew."

He caught a glimpse of Katara trying to remain unnoticed. "Ah! The waterbender who helped my nephew. Come here."

She shyly came next to him and was caught up in a bear hug, along with Zuko. Their feet left the ground. "I can never express my gratitude enough." He looked at Zuko, whose face had a slight blush from being so close to Katara like this. "But I bet my nephew can!"

"Uncle!"

"Wait a minute!" Sokka broke in. "You're saying that this _firebender _has a crush on my _sister_?"

"Yes, unless I have become blind in my old age-No offense, Toph."

"None taken. Besides, even I can tell that they like each other. And don't bother saying you don't, I can tell when you lie."

They both blushed.

"Hey, I'm fine with that, but _you're _the one telling dad that you fell in love with a firebender. And I don't want any neces or nephews till Ozai is defeated!"

"K-Katara?" Iroh let them down and she immediatly rushed to where he was lying in Sokka's sleeping bag next to where the king was sitting.

"Yes Aang?"

"I wanted to say that I'm sorry for making you uncomfortable with my crush on you. I realize now that you will never be more than an older sister to me."

"He's not lying, Katara." Toph remarked from the other side of the fire.

"I know Toph, I know."

"Okay, since now all the lovey dovey aww group hug moments are done, can we _please _get out of here before the Dai Li come calling!" Sokka said, arms flaining in a desperate attempt to get his point across.

"Yes, Sokka." Katara stood up. "But where can we go?"

"When I was with dad I heard talk of a rebellion headquarters. If we hurry we can catch up with the fleet and ask them where it is!"

"Okay. Toph, can you get Aang safely onto Appa?" Toph saluted and nodded. "Good. Sokka, pack everything up. Iroh or Zuko, can one of you put out the fire? I'm going to get some water from the stream in case of any nasty suprises."

After everything was packed up onto Appa's new saddle and the fire fugatives were assured that they weren't going to fall off -"But what about Bas-" "No time, your majesty." they took to the skies.

Zuko looked over at Katara. "Thank you for what you did."

She blushed. "I should be thanking you. You saved my life. And I think that means that I owe you something." She leaned over and started give him a quick kiss on his cheek, but he moved and it ended up being on his mouth.

"HAND CHECK!!"

"SOKKA!!!" The sound of water strikeing flesh was heard as everybody laughed, flying into the dawn to save the world.


End file.
